The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 58

TER 58 – A Letter and a Lie

Tobias

Brent knocked once and stepped into the study without waiting for a reply–because he knew better than

to interrupt unless it was important.

The fire snapped behind me. The whiskey in my glass had gone untouched. I didn’t look up.

“Is it done?” I asked.

He crossed the room and extended a thick cream envelope. “It just arrived. From the contact you’ve been

waiting on.”

I took it and opened it slowly. My pulse stayed even. My expression blank. But inside?

A low hum began to build.

Like the start of a storm.

I unfolded the letter and scanned it quickly. Handwritten. Neat. Direct.

Training mission locations confirmed.

Four days. Begins day after tomorrow.

First two: group formation.

Last two: solo survival.

Nevara’s exact drop zone enclosed.

I read it twice, committing every detail to memory before setting it down on the desk like it didn’t just shift

the ground beneath us.

“So,” I said quietly. “It’s finally time.”

Brent exhaled slowly, like he’d been holding it too. “You want me to prepare the vehicle?”

I nodded once. “And the location. Has it been secured?”

“Yes, Alpha. The old hunting cabin two ridges south. Closest civilization is miles away, Satellite dead zone. No patrol routes. Nobody stumbles on it unless they’re looking.”

“Good,” I murmured. “Very good.”

I stood and crossed to the window, watching the Icy wind rustle through bare trees outside. My reflection in the glass looked calm. Controlled.

Deceitfully human.

“She’ll be vulnerable,” I said. “Cold. Hungry. Alone. It’s the perfect window. We wait until her solo drop begins–four days from now.”

< CHAPTER 58 – A Letter and a Lie

“And then?”

“And then,” I said, turning back toward him, “you get me in. Quietly. No tracks. No trace.”

He inclined his head. “And after that?”

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“I take her to the cabin. I’ll have time. Time to talk to her. Time to explain. Time to remind her what she’s

forgetting.”

Brent didn’t speak.

“I don’t care if it takes a week or a month,” I added. “We’ll stay there until she understands. Until she

agrees to come home.”

“She won’t come easy.” CHAPTER 57 – The Letter

Nevara

Sabrina didn’t sit. She just stood there, arms crossed tight, mouth pressed into a thin line.

“What is it?” I asked again, stepping toward her. “What happened?”

She glanced once toward the window, as if checking for shadows, then said low, “My girlfriend saw

something.”

I straightened. “Go on.”

“She saw Michelle earlier today. Talking to Kael.”

I blinked. “I saw that too.”

“You did?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding slowly. “It was during training. She came to the field, pulled him aside, gave him one of those muffins like it was some secret handshake. Whole thing gave me weird vibes.”

Sabrina’s mouth twisted. “That tracks. My girlfriend said the same. Said Michelle was acting sketchy. Looking around too much. Like she didn’t want anyone to see.”

“She didn’t just look nervous,” I muttered, mostly to myself. “She looked like someone trying to get away

with something.”

Sabrina took a step closer. “It gets worse.”

“How much worse?”

“A little while after that–maybe half an hour–Michelle handed something to one of the palace couriers. A folded paper or envelope, my girlfriend couldn’t see exactly what. But it wasn’t part of the usual dispatch stuff. She watched it happen.”

My stomach twisted. “And?”

“She got in her car and followed him.”

My eyebrows shot up. “She what?”

“She didn’t do anything illegal,” Sabrina said quickly. “She just tailed him. Gave enough distance not to spook him. Stayed out of sight.”

“And where did he go?”

Sabrina’s lips parted, then paused like she almost didn’t want to say it.

“The Silvercrest Pack,” she said finally.

Ice slipped down my spine. “You’re sure?”

< CHAPTER 57 – The Letter

“She followed him all the way to the outer border. Watched him go through the gate.”

“Fuck.”

“I know.”

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I paced across the room, hands tightening into fists. My mind ran in a dozen directions at once–trying to connect dots that didn’t want to be connected.

“She wouldn’t just… contact them for fun,” I said, almost to myself. “She knows what they did. What Tobias

did. Why I left.”

Sabrina nodded grimly. “That’s what worries me.”

“And Kael?” I asked. “Why speak to him right before?”

“I don’t know yet,” Sabrina said. “But I don’t trust it. And neither does my girl. She said something felt off. Like the courier didn’t even know what he was carrying–just following orders. But Michelle knew.”

“And if it was a letter,” I murmured, “then someone’s about to get a message.”

Sabrina nodded. “Yeah. And we have no idea what it says… or who it’s really for.”

I paced to the edge of the room and back again, my fingers flexing like they wanted something to tear into.

“As far as I know, she doesn’t even know anyone there,” I muttered. “Why would she? Wolves and Lycans don’t exactly have cookouts together. We barely tolerate each other.”

Sabrina didn’t argue. Just watched me quietly, her brows pulled tight.

“That’s why Thoren’s father made him reject me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“When we met four years ago,” I said slowly, “Thoren was told he couldn’t be with me because I was a wolf. That was the whole reason. His father didn’t want our species mixing.” My voice cracked slightly, but I swallowed it down. “So why the hell would Michelle be reaching out to them of all people?”

Sabrina blinked. “You think she’s contacting someone on your behalf?”

I shook my head. “No. No, this has nothing to do with helping me. What would I need help with, I’m not here against my will.”

My stomach twisted the longer I thought about it.

“Tobias,” I said suddenly, heart dropping. “He was just here last week.”

Sabrina paled. “The guy from the gates? Your ex?”

“He wanted to talk. Said he just wanted closure, or some shit,” I said through clenched teeth. “But what if that wasn’t the end of it? What if he didn’t give up?”

“You think she sent the letter to him?”

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CHAPTER 57- The Letter

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“Who else would she know in Silvercrest? I demanded. “And she was way too curious about him after he

left. She asked questions. Subtle, but still.”

“But why?” Sabrina asked, voice tight. “What would she gain from that?”

“That’s what I can’t figure out,” I whispered. “She acts like my friend. She brings me fucking muffins. She goes shopping with me. But then she hands off a letter to a courier heading straight into enemy territory?”

Sabrina was quiet a beat, then said, “Maybe it wasn’t about you. Maybe it was about Thoren.”

I looked at her sharply.

“Or your bond,” she added. “Maybe she’s trying to ruin something. Stir something up. Get you pulled back

into Silvercrest.”

“She doesn’t know how far things have gone with Thoren,” I said, though even as I spoke, the words felt fragile. “At least, I don’t think she knows.”

Sabrina’s look said what she didn’t: she might not have to know everything to make a dangerous guess.

The silence stretched between us again, heavy with implication.

Finally, I drew a breath. “I need to talk to Thoren.”

“Are you going to tell him everything?”

I hesitated. “Most of it.”

Sabrina nodded. “Want me to keep eyes on Michelle?”

“Yes,” I said. “Discreetly. If she so much as scratches her nose weird, I want to know.”

Sabrina gave me a grim little salute. “Done.”

She turned to leave, but paused at the door.

“You’re not crazy,” she said. “Even if this all is coincidence… something about her doesn’t sit right with me

either.”

“Thanks,” I said quietly.

When the door shut behind her, I stared at the wall a long moment, heart pounding. I’m going to have such a hard time going to sleep tonight.

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“She doesn’t have to,” I said smoothly. “She just has to listen. She just has to remember who she is.”

Brent was silent for a beat. Then: “And if she doesn’t?”

“She will.”

My voice was steel now.

“She just needs space. And quiet. And someone to remind her that the rest of the world doesn’t love her

like I do.”

I looked down at the letter again.

“Make sure the cabin is fully stocked. Blankets, food, firewood. I don’t want her cold or hungry. I want her

pliable.”

He nodded.

“And you’ll keep everything running here in my absence. I want no questions, no slip–ups. Just time. That’s

all I need.”

Brent’s voice was low. “Yes, Alpha.”

I picked up the letter and folded it carefully.

Four days.

That’s all that stood between me and getting my mate back.

And this time…

I wouldn’t let her go.

I didn’t waste time.

Delusion thrived on momentum, and I’d learned long ago not to give doubt room to breathe.

I went to my quarters first.

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< CHAPTER 58 – A Letter and a Lie

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The wardrobe doors swung open, and I began pulling out heavy coats, thermal layers, gloves, boots. Wo Fur–lined collars. Anything built to keep out cold and keep a body comfortable. I folded each item neatly and placed it into a large suitcase, methodical, precise. A man preparing for a journey–not a crime.